When poking around the Smithsonian Museum’s extensive collection of children’s chemistry sets, you’ll find an archive of toys that represents over a century of scientific discovery for aspiring young chemists. First adapted from the portable kits used by scientists and college students during the 18th and 19th centuries, the sets became a must-have in any American toy box by the 1920s.

A critically acclaimed show with perhaps more chemistry per hour than any drama in television history, Breaking Bad is also a show involving nefarious and harmful uses of chemistry, and a show very much for adults. Like the show, this post discusses topics that are not to be glamorized, but only to explain how Breaking Bad respects science while exploring sad and unfortunate topics.

Earlier in National Chemistry Week, we mentioned this year's Nobel winners for chemistry and their work on the body's receptors for fear and other signals. Just in time for Halloween, here's more on how your system handles scares …

If you’re like me (and most other living creatures), you don’t like being scared. Since it is a survival mechanism, fear is designed to be unpleasant. It activates our emotions and puts our bodies on high alert. Ever wonder what is really happening inside your body...

As children who go trick-or-treating will probably agree, the best part about Halloween is the candy. But here's something you might not have known: candy is all about chemistry! It takes a lot of science to make the color, flavor, and texture of your candy just right. Check out this cool clip from the...

It's National Chemistry Week (October 21-27)! All week long, we'll be giving the spotlight to this branch of science, our way of tipping our hat to the chemistry around us. We'll start the week off by first jumping right to the end.